Pages

Monday, 22 June 2015

Third time lucky - Debut victory for Eriksson at Daytona

Sebastian Eriksson took his first Red Bull Global Rallycross in win only his third Supercars event, heading home Ken Block and Steve Arpin in the second final of the double header event at Daytona.

Eriksson took the lead on the opening lap after coming out of the Kobalt Tools Joker Lap and never looked back as the rest of the field battled behind him.

Block and Arpin fought hard over second place, making contact on lap two. Block eventually prevailed as Arpin dropped out of the top three, loosing out to Jeff Ward, all the while Eriksson extended his lead at the front of the field.

X Games gold medallist Scott Speed looked to make it back-to-back podium finishes for Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross. He moved up to third on lap three thanks to the Kobalt Tools Joker Lap but just one lap later, contact with Ward broke his suspension and he was out. It ended a dismal weekend for Speed who didn't even make the main event of the first half of the double header, his Beetle plagued by engine issues.

Another casualty was Joni Wiman who clattered into the wall on lap eight while battling with Tanner Foust and Arpin.

On the final lap Jeff Ward appeared from almost nowhere to close up on Ganassi team mate Arpin and challenge for third. Ward eventually took the place but a post-race decision handed third back to Arpin.

Tanner Foust finished in fifth, ahead of Nelson Piquet Jr. in sixth who had made a lightning start to jump from tenth to fourth on lap one. Austin Dyne was the final runner at the chequered flag, finishing seventh and one lap down.

Joni Wiman and Scott Speed failed to finish, being classified eighth and ninth respectively, Patrick Sandell was classified tenth despite not making it off the line at the start of the race.